(Not Applicable)
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a food preparation method and system, and more particularly to a method and system for individually or simultaneously cooking and processing food.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of food processing devices exist in the prior art including, for example, devices which can slice, chop, shred, puree or otherwise aid in the preparation of food products. Food processing devices are used to provide processed food products as an alternative to solid food. Such processed foods can be consumed by infants or any other individual who cannot ingest solid foods. To fulfill this need, there are numerous commercially processed foods from which to choose; however, many of these products contain preservatives, fillers, and thickening agents. As they become increasingly health conscious in their eating habits, consumers will often prefer to prepare their meals from fresh meats and vegetables instead of purchasing commercially prepared foods.
Processing fresh food to create such meals, however, is often time-consuming and inefficient. Specifically, once the food is initially cooked, its preparation frequently requires a separate cooking or heating step. Moreover, the extra cooking step involves the use of cookware and cooking utensils which must be cleaned once the processed food is served. Thus, it is desirable to provide a food preparation system which can both cook and process food to create a ready-to-eat food product.
In accordance with the inventive arrangements, a food preparation system and method is provided. The system includes a base housing, a container detachably engagable with the base housing in which the container is adapted to receive food products. The system also includes a heater within the base housing and/or the container for converting a liquid into a cooking vapor, and a blade rotatably mounted in the container in which the blade supports the food products during a cooking step and processes the food products during a processing step. The system can also have positioning structure within the base housing and/or the container for positioning the blade in a cooking position during the cooking step, and for positioning the blade in a processing position during the processing step.
A method according to the invention includes placing food products on a blade rotatably mounted in a container in which the blade contains at least one blade element and the blade element contains at least one vapor vent. The method can also include placing the blade in a cooking position, converting a liquid into a cooking vapor, directing the cooking vapor through the vapor vent, cooking the food products with the cooking vapor; placing the blade in a processing position, and processing the food products.
In one arrangement of the above system and method, the blade can include a blade column. The system can also include at least one blade element attached to the blade column in which the blade elements contain at least one vapor vent through which the cooking vapor may pass. In another arrangement of the above system and method, the blade elements can extend outwardly from the blade column and the blade elements can combine to form a substantially circular or elliptical storage area for the food products during the cooking step. In this arrangement, at least one of the blade elements can have a cutting edge for processing the food products during the processing step. In addition, the blade elements can be positioned in separate substantially vertical planes, and opposing blade elements can be positioned in substantially the same vertical position.
In another aspect, the processing position of the blade can be lower than the cooking position of the blade. In one arrangement, the processing position of the blade can be substantially adjacent to the bottom surface of the container and the cooking position of the blade can be above the processing position.
In another aspect of the above system and method, the blade can include a blade column and at least one blade element in which the blade element can contain at least one vapor vent. The blade column can have an interior cavity and a vapor outlet. The blade column can cooperate with a projection attached to the container to create a vapor channel in which the cooking vapor can flow through the vapor channel, the vapor outlet and the vapor vent during the cooking step. In one arrangement, the projection can be substantially cylindrical, and the vapor channel can be a plurality of substantially concentric channels. Further, the vapor outlet can be an annular vapor vent located below the vapor vents.
In another arrangement of the above system and method, the container can retain the condensate from the cooking vapor when the cooking vapor condenses. The condensate can be mixed with the food products during the processing step. The container can also have a lid detachably mounted to the container. The container can also have an exhaust vent for preventing excessive pressures in the container.
In another aspect, the system and method can include a fuse in which the fuse can shut off the heater if the temperature within the system rises above a predetermined temperature. In one arrangement, the fuse can be a resettable fuse that can automatically restore power to the heater if the temperature within the system drops below the predetermined temperature. Alternatively, the fuse can be a safety fuse that must be manually reset when the temperature within the system drops below the predetermined temperature. In another arrangement, the system and method can include a safety switch for preventing operation of the system unless the lid is properly mounted on the container.
In another aspect, the system and method can include a microprocessor for controlling time intervals of the cooking and processing steps. The microprocessor can execute the cooking and processing steps in an automated sequence.